Tag: Stephen King

A Review of Stephen King’s IT

Stephen King has long been seen as one of the most iconic figures in the history of horror novels. His 1986 novel IT is one of the most noteworthy stories that he has ever made. The story is one that focuses heavily on memories and childhood trauma.

A Summary of the Book

IT is a book that takes place in Maine over the course of two periods of time. The story begins in the 1950s as a number of kids in a small town come across a strange being that they refer to simply as IT. This is a creature that roams the sewers and kills children by posing as things that they fear. The most noteworthy form that IT takes is that of a clown although it can be seen in many other forms by all the kids in town.

The story picks up in the 1980s as a group of friends refer to their small town in Maine through a blood oath stating that they would return if IT appeared again. The story then moves on to look into what the team has to do in order to stop IT as the strange being continues to roam the town while killing people all around.

The story particularly delves into the origins of IT throughout its entire run. This includes a closer look at how IT has evolved from centuries as it was responsible for the killings of various people throughout the years.

Important Thoughts

IT is a fascinating story in that it focuses heavily on the concept of fear and how it can take hold in many forms. This can especially be seen from how IT can appear in many styles as a means of stopping people in their tracks and killing them. IT mostly appears as a clown named Pennywise, an interesting concept considering how many children are afraid of clowns.

The story also looks into the concept of small town facades. This looks into how many children are led to believe that the places that they can call home are supportive and welcoming when in reality they are often places that can be extremely dangerous. This is an interesting look at how the places that people often trust in and find comfort in may not always be as peaceful and calming as they wish they could be. This is a great look into just what makes some of these places, so intriguing to people, while also being specific in terms of how dangerous the world might be at times.

It is clear that the book is a little lengthy, what with it being a little more than a thousand pages in length. However, Stephen King manages to fill the space with plenty of characters that people will easily get invested in. The characters are described well and it is very easy to sympathize with them as the story goes along. This is especially for how many of them have their own ulterior motives in terms of what makes them want to stop IT before that creature can get into any real trouble. The story certainly has plenty of gripping moments that will intrigue people all the way through.

There is also a great look at how childhood trauma can last in this book. The trauma that the character experienced when they were young continues to be noticed as the story goes along and proves to be a fascinating part of the story. This shows that while anyone can move on with life, it may not always be as easy to do this as some might think it could be. As difficult as it can be, it is a good point that could be seen in terms of how important it is for people to develop throughout their lives in order to avoid the traumas and pains that they often get into.

Conclusion

Stephen King’s IT is a very entertaining horror novel that stands out for how it has a variety of appealing characters and scary situations. The story has a great theme as well as it focuses on how fear works and how what people think is peaceful is not always as happy as it might seem. This is a great book for those who are interested in getting into King’s world of literature to check out.